History of the Elms

Our Lady of the Elms is dedicated to meeting the intellectual, spiritual, social, and personal needs of girls in grades one through 12 and boys in preschool through kindergarten. The Elms welcomes girls of every religion, race, nationality and ethnic origin.

In 1923 the Caldwell, NJ, Dominican Sisters purchased Elm Court, the Arthur Marks estate on West Market Street in Akron, OH. The convent immediately became a day school for students in grades one through twelve. As Dominican women committed “to praise, to bless, and to preach the truth of the Gospel,” they saw the active ministry of education as the best way of carrying out their dedication. The Sisters of St. Dominic of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a congregation of strong and visionary women, created, nurtured, and sustained what we know today as Our Lady of the Elms School – educating girls through grade 12 and boys in preschool through kindergarten. In 1999 the school was separately incorporated and became known as a sponsored or founded ministry of the Sisters.

On Easter Sunday in April 2009, the Sisters of St. Dominic of Akron joined six other congregations from New Orleans, LA, Great Bend, KS, St. Catharine, KY, Columbus, OH, and Oxford, MI, to form a new congregation – the Dominican Sisters of Peace.

We are called to continue the Sisters’ legacy faithfully today, tomorrow and for many years to come.